Chapter 49. NET {8}:- Second Phase Of The Tournament.


    Seeing that Orion remained standing at the entrance instead ofing closer, the tournament official spoke with a deep andmanding voice.


    "Come closer, Prince Galdur; I''m tournament official, Ganesha. Please,e forward."


    Orion swallowed a huge gulp of saliva.


    He could see that Ganesha was trying to act like a scary official, so Orion decided to y along by acting like an intimidated ten-year-old elf while walking slowly toward Ganesha.


    Just like the male tournament official Orion spoke to after he defeated the ze rats, Ganesha was also a tournament official.


    So far, since the tournament started, Orion could see that the officials were not limited to the elders alone.


    There were also some younger elves who were officials, like Ganesha and Hilda.


    Meanwhile, as Orion drew closer to Ganesha, he could see that the room began to darken.


    The darkness deepened around him and Ganesha''s eyes seemed to bore into Orion''s soul, causing Orion to feel a shiver down his spine.


    At least, that was what Orion wanted Ganesha to see.


    In actuality, Orion wasn''t bothered or scared by the little magic trick Ganesha was performing.


    He just had to act this way to see how things would y out in the end.


    Seeing that Orion was now close to him, Ganesha asked his first question, his voice remaining firm. "Tell me, Prince Galdur, what starts with a letter ''t'' is filled with tea, and ends with a ''t''?"


    After hearing the question, Orion''s mind raced to answer, but before he could respond, Ganesha added. "You have thirty seconds to reply, Prince. And to make it more… interesting;" an evil smile appeared on Ganesha''s face when he said this, "I shall cast a spell to focus your thoughts."


    With a swift gesture, Ganesha cast the spell, and Orion was suddenly assaulted by the loud, nging sounds of bells and the relentless ticking of a clock. The cacophony filled his ears, making it difficult for him to think straight.


    "You have fifteen seconds left, Prince Galdur. And you haven''t answered the question. What starts with the letter "t", is filled with tea, and ends with a "t"?"


    Orion''s heart raced as he struggled to think of an answer. The sounds grew louder and more intense with every passing second, but Orion was determined not to give up.


    He swiftly calmed his mind to rey Ganesha''s question again before looking into Ganesha''s eyes.


    "You have five seconds left, Your Highness," Ganesha''s evil smirk widened even more. "What starts with the letter "t", is filled with tea, and ends with a "t"?" He repeated the question for thest time but to his surprise, Orion replied.


    "A teapot."


    Hearing this, Ganesha''s lips widened into a smile.


    Unlike his previous evil smirk, this smile was a sincere one, but it didn''tst for more than a second and his facial expression returned to his stern look.


    "Correct, Your Highness. Now, Next question," Ganesha said and Orion prepared himself mentally for the next question.


    "It is something that we see once in a year, twice in a week, and never in a day. Do you know what the answer is, Your Highness?" Ganesha inquired, increasing the chaotic sounds to make it more difficult for Orion to think straight.


    However, Orion was used to this by now, so he smiled a bit as he replied to Ganesha''s question. "....."


    Unlike before when Ganesha asked Orion the first question, Orion was now calmer and more collected.


    He wasn''t bothered by the sound of the bells or the loud ticking of the clock anymore.


    This was because he finally understood what Ganesha was trying to do. Ganesha was simply trying to test Orion''s mental resilience and ability to think under pressure.


    By forcing Orion to think amidst the chaos, Ganesha wanted to assess Orion''s ability to remain calm, focused, and mentally clear under duress.


    "You have thirty seconds to answer…"


    "The letter ''E,''" Orion replied calmly with a smile on his face, and Ganesha smiled in response as well.


    "Impressive, now the next question. What goes up but neveres down?"


    "Our age."


    "Good. Now, answer this riddle. I have something that belongs to you but I won''t share it. Although, if I share it, I won''t have it anymore. Prince Galdur, tell me what it is."


    Orion pondered about the riddle for a few seconds, then he replied. "A secret."


    "Excellent, now thest question. "How do you make the number one disappear."


    Hearing this question, Orion''s lips widened into a smile and he replied. "By adding the letter ''G'' to it, thereby turning it into the word GONE."


    Ganesha nodded his head with a smile on his face.


    He was genuinely impressed by what he had witnessed from Orion.


    Contrary to what Ganesha said when he asked Orion the first question, he hadn''t cast the spell to help Orion focus; rather, it was used to simte a high-pressure situation that would test Orion''s mental fortitude, creativity, and problem-solving skills.


    And Orion had passed Ganesha''s test with flying colors.


    Ganesha found it astonishing to see a ten-year-old elf behaving and thinking like an adult. It was almost simr to how Lady Luna Cyprus had acted very maturely while he questioned her, but even she hadn''t answered all of her questions correctly.


    Since he was impressed by what he had seen so far, Ganesha canceled the spell and said.


    "That was amazing, Your Highness. You answered all of your questions correctly, now it''s time to answer questions rted to our history and a few other questions to determine if you are prepared for what it means to be the prince and future King of the kingdom. Are you ready?"


    "Yes, I am." Orion nodded his head as he made himself ready to answer any question Ganesha had for him.


    "Good. Now, we will start with history. Before the war ended two decades ago, our kingdom had a lot of weaknesses. What was the greatest weakness Queen Evelyn Elfrida discovered about us and how did she help us to ovee this weakness?"


    Orion took a deep breath before opening his mouth to speak. "The Queen discovered that our weakness was not our physical vulnerability to dark magic or our historical conflict with other kingdoms. Instead, we tended to iste ourselves from the world, to hide behind our forest and our magic.


    The Queen made our people realize that our strengthy not only in our ancient tradition but also in our ability to adapt, forge alliances, and learn from others. She also revealed the fact that our istion could lead to the kingdom''s stagnation and decline, making us vulnerable to the very threat we sought to avoid.


    To ovee our weakness, the Queen allied with the orc tribe and we''ve learned a lot from them, which aided us in the war against other kingdoms who tried to subdue us."


    Ganesha''s eyes widened in surprise when he heard everything Orion had to say.


    He had expected Orion to give a simple and brief answer of what urred during a period of the kingdom''s history.


    It had been over two decades, so it wouldn''t be surprising to see that the current young generation knew little to nothing about this particr history of the kingdom, but to Ganesha''s surprise, Orion had shown his deep understanding of his kingdom''s history and the huge role his beloved mother yed in it as well.


    "Well said, Your Highness, but are you familiar with this elven proverb? ''The roots of a tree are not seen, but they hold great power''."


    "Yes."


    "Good. Could you tell me what this proverb means?"


    "It reminds us that true power and strength often lies beneath the surface, unseen by the naked eye."


    "As a future king of the kingdom, what hidden strengths do you believe will shape the future of our kingdom?" Ganesha asked.


    "I believe the resilience of our people and the wisdom of our elders are the hidden strengths that will help shape the kingdom''s future."


    Ganesha liked the confidence Orion showed while answering all of his questions and his impression of the prince had increased beyond his wildest imagination. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Splendid, Your Highness. You have three more questions. I need you to interpret this saying. ''The moonlight is brightest in the darkest night''. What does it mean to you?"


    "It means that even in the most challenging times, our people''s resilience and hope will shine brightest."


    "What does it mean to you to be an elf, and how will you preserve our unique heritage in a changing world?"


    "Being an elf means embracing our connection to nature and honoring our history. I will preserve our heritage by adapting our customs to thrive in a changing world, ensuring our unique spirit endures."


    "Your final question, what message of hope would you offer to those among our elven people who feel overshadowed by their peers, struggling to find their ce and doubting their own worth?"


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    A/N:- Thank you so much for the golden tickets, gifts and power stones. You guys are the best.